Winter Kill

by Cotton Smith

Rustling is an ugly business. Just the suspicion of it can get somebody hurt—or killed. And there’s a whole lot of suspicion over on the Bar 6, the largest spread in the region. Old Titus Branson is missing a hundred head of Bar 6 cattle, and he’s mighty sure of who did Bass Manko. Titus isn’t about to sit still for something like that. He and his boys are dead set on seeing Manko swing from a rope. But Titus will have to face someone besides Manko Manko’s best friend—Titus’s own son!

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Cotton Smith was born in Kansas City, Missouri; some would say a century later than he should have. He grew up enjoying both adjoining states, Kansas and Missouri, living mostly in Kansas. His ancestors fought in the Civil War, mostly for the South, as regulars and guerillas. As a young man, he learned to ride horses from a grizzled wrangler he remembers fondly. He also learned how to roll a cigarette then, too! "Looking back on it, he taught me the right ways around a horse -- and he taught me some other things too. Like swinging into the saddle with the horse loping. And springing up from the rear, like the movie stars did. Never occurred to me then that I could get hurt. Guess no young person ever does."

Early in life, he was also exposed to the ways of the Plains Indian, to their sacred ceremonies, customs and traditions. His appreciation for their spiritual connection to the land and all that occupied it was heightened by involvement with Indian friends and backed by extensive research. Both touched him deeply and can be readily seen in his caring -- and accurate--portrayal of Indians in his novels. Throughout his stories, one finds intriguing glimpses of this insight, giving readers a sense of what really was and why.

Reviews

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Central Texas Western Mystery/Outlaws, Lawmen and Plot To Kill Many

CS had written of two young men raised in the same area. One the son of a white Man and a Mexican Woman and the other the son of a Comanche War Chief and a White Woman. The two young men are inseparable as they grow to adulthood. One turns to the law and the other to murder. The half breed becomes a Deputy Sheriff and the other an Outlaw. This is an excellent read for the genre.....ER

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, modern western, "Winter Kill" (2004) has a number of great characters in a few overlapping groups of families and interests who are trying to find their path through a potential cattle rustling range war. Cade Branson is the clear protagonist, and when his father and brothers arm up against his best friend Bass Manko, he needs to figure out who is in the right and where his loyalties lie. There are two fun female characters alongside the half-dozen guys who take part in this range war and Smith's POV-style narration make it a really good read.

Winter Kill slows at times with conversations that repeat a bit but serve to really flush out what these fun characters were individually thinking as the plot was progressing, a bit of a point-of-view case study, so we are first convinced one guy is in the right but then hear it from another angle and second-guess the situation. Those slow-moving parts are frequently broken up with knifefights, fistfights, Mexican standoffs, dastardly expositions, and plot twists. There are a lot of standard western tropes and hokey exposition and it is just wonderful.

Verdict: Awesome and hokey as all get out.

Jeff’s Rating: 5 / 5 (Excellent)
Movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[Jewell Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cotton Smith just gets better.

I started reading this book with the determination that I was going to read it levels. Well that didn't work. I read all the way through. Great capacitive story. Sheriff Harding ,Cass, and Bass kept the suspense going. Read for yourself good read.